Software Developer Hiring Trends in Sofia, Bulgaria

This report was last updated on Sep 6, 2025

Bence Gedai

Founder

I analyze live hiring data and tech job trends across Europe to give CTOs and Product Leaders a strategic edge. By tracking tens of thousands of open roles each week, I uncover which skills, roles, and locations are in highest demand — potential competitors, typical time to hire, talent pool sizes, and more to help you prioritize hiring, benchmark and stay competitive in a fast-moving market.

Key learnings from this report

The software engineering job market in Bulgaria, particularly in Sofia, is exhibiting a robust net increase of 578 job openings, reflecting a strong demand with 2,409 new roles posted compared to 1,831 closed over the past three months.
Sofia stands out as the dominant hub for software engineering jobs, boasting 6,067 available positions, which represents 88% of the total job market in Bulgaria, followed by Plovdiv and Varna with 442 and 240 openings, respectively.
A total of 96% of software engineering roles in Bulgaria are full-time positions, indicating a trend towards stable employment opportunities, predominantly focused on mid-senior level positions that make up 62% of current openings.
Hiring managers face a competitive environment for software engineers in Sofia, with a challenging ratio of job openings significantly outpacing the available talent pool, a trend that echoes across other European markets.
The median time to hire software engineers in Sofia is 33 days, with a notable portion of candidates being hired within 30 days, underscoring the need for efficient recruitment strategies in a fast-paced market.

Number of roles opened and closed for Software Engineers in Sofia in the last 3 months

Over the past 12 weeks, the software engineering job market in Bulgaria, specifically Sofia, has displayed notable fluctuations, with a total of 2,409 new software developer roles posted against 1,831 jobs closed. This results in a net increase of 578 opportunities, illustrating a strong demand for software engineers in the region. Comparatively, while other European markets exhibit similar trends, Sofia shows a dynamic environment with peak weeks, such as week 30 with 253 openings, highlighting a concentrated interest in software talent. For hiring managers and recruiters, this trend underscores the importance of strategic recruitment efforts to capitalize on the swelling software job market in Sofia.

Who else is hiring for software Engineers in Bulgaria:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	116
wherewework Bulgaria	null	Human Resources	null	78
Job- og Erhvervsservice \| Jobcenter Gentofte	null	null	null	43
Happy Bar & Grill	Bulgaria	Restaurants	1994	39
Exadel	United States	Information Technology & Services	1998	34
BairesDev	United States	Information Technology & Services	2009	30
Rabota.bg	Bulgaria	Media Production	null	30
Sofia Stars	Bulgaria	Management Consulting	null	30
EPAM Systems	United States	Information Technology & Services	1993	26
Experian	United States	Information Services	1980	23

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Talent pool vs job openings for Software Engineers in Bulgaria

How competitive it is to hire Software Engineers in Bulgaria

The software engineering job market in Bulgaria, particularly in Sofia, is characterized by a growing number of job openings and a competitive talent pool. With the current job openings significantly outnumbering available software engineers, the ratio presents a challenging environment for hiring managers. For instance, countries like Germany and France also face high competition due to numerous openings and a comparatively smaller talent pool. Furthermore, in comparison to Hungary, the recruitment landscape in Sofia shows a tighter ratio, suggesting that finding qualified software engineers may prove more difficult. As hiring trends evolve, CTOs and engineering managers must adapt their recruitment strategies to effectively navigate the competitive environment for software developer opportunities in Bulgaria.

Seniority distribution of Software Engineer job openings in Sofia

Seniority Distribution of Software Engineering Jobs in Sofia

In Bulgaria's Sofia region, the software engineering job market exhibits a notable seniority distribution. The Mid-Senior level positions dominate, representing approximately 62% of the opportunities. Entry level roles account for about 24%, while Associate positions make up roughly 7% of the available jobs. This breakdown indicates a strong demand for experienced Software Engineers, suggesting that hiring managers should focus on attracting candidates with mid-level expertise to meet their project needs effectively.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in Bulgaria

In the Bulgarian software engineering landscape, full-time positions dominate the employment type distribution, comprising 96% of available roles. Contract roles account for 2% of the job market, while part-time positions represent 1% of opportunities. This concentration highlights the trend towards stable employment in the software job market in Bulgaria, particularly in Sofia, where demand for skilled engineers continues to rise.

Time to Hire Distribution for Software in Bulgaria

How long does it take to hire Software Engineers

The time to hire distribution for software jobs in Bulgaria reveals critical trends for hiring managers navigating the software job market in Bulgaria Sofia. Notably, the most significant segment is represented by candidates hired within 30 days, totaling 779, indicative of a fast-paced recruitment environment. However, there is also a considerable volume of candidates taking longer to secure positions, with 355 hired within 15 days and 501 within 25 days. This distribution suggests that while immediate hiring is feasible, the competition for top talent is substantial, necessitating strategic recruitment solutions. Understanding these hiring timelines can aid CTOs and Engineering Managers in devising effective recruitment strategies for software engineers in Bulgaria Sofia.

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Most popular cities in Bulgaria to hire Software Engineers

Top 5 cities in Bulgaria to hire Software Engineers

In Bulgaria, the distribution of Software Engineer job openings highlights Sofia as the predominant hub, with 6067 positions, accounting for 88% of the total opportunities. Following Sofia, Plovdiv offers 442 job openings, constituting 6% of the market, while Varna contributes with 240 openings, representing approximately 3% of the job market. This data underscores the significance of Sofia as a central player in the Software job market in Bulgaria.

Most sought after technologies in Sofia for Software

Key technologies for Software Engineers

In the competitive landscape of the software job market in Bulgaria, particularly in Sofia, several technologies stand out due to their frequency of use among employers. Java tops the list, with an impressive frequency of 10,875 occurrences, signifying a strong demand for Java developers. Following Java, Python emerges as a highly sought-after language with 10,977 mentions, reflecting the growing trend of data science and machine learning applications. JavaScript and React also show significant presence in job postings, with frequencies of 8,244 and 6,854, respectively, indicating a strong demand for front-end development expertise. Additionally, the .NET framework and C# remain pivotal, with 5,985 and 5,156 occurrences, respectively. These insights underscore the critical technologies that hiring managers should focus on when considering recruitment strategies for software engineers in Sofia. Please refer to the accompanying chart for a detailed breakdown of technology usage.

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